Two Suns
by Feenyxiah
Summary: This has gotten a lot of thumbs up from Eight Birds. Story about the Hyuugas, focusing on the Hyuugas. Neji and Hinata both have their own kids. There's a great possibility that I might add two more chapters to it.
1. Two Suns

((I don't own Naruto. I don't own any of its characters. But as you can see...there are original characters depicted here.))

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It was a Hyuuga tradition that the clan would meet when their heir turned three.

And it was so much that a small boy with deep jet hair would sit so proudly beside the watch of his mother. Hideaki Hyuuga was by all standards a natural-born genius. He had already excelled tremendously in the academy and was expecting to reach genin quite soon, however because of his tender age was restricted to graduate as per order of the Hokage. Yet the fact that he was too young did not phase his mother to ferverently train him and constantly remind him of his position in life. Although she was stern like the grandfather before him, her soft and gentle voice would always remind him that he was "a Hyuuga, remember that."

It was said that the day of his birth was one like that of a prophet. Hinata Hyuuga had been long a Jounin and recently the clan leader. It was known that the young clan leader was a virgin, yet suddenly arrived back home from a mission with a tiny babe in her arms.

It was known that the child was a Hyuuga, and a possible child of Hinata's. Yet she claimed that the child was given to her by chance, by virtue of a solemn wish. When asked of the child's parents the leader herself would simply cast her eyes down at the question, and simply reply that it must have been the wheel of fate turning. The question eventually was never asked again, leaving the public to speculation and astonishment.

Although the elders had cried against the tainting of the Hyuuga house with an adopted child, it was clear that the child belonged to a prodigy or someone of a pure bloodline of the Hyuuga. Whether or not the child was indeed from the womb of Hinata, or even more probable sown from the seed of her male relatives, it became a common belief that she had made a pact with one of the female Hyuugas because Hinata herself was infertile. This had not been the first time in Hyuuga history where an heir was adopted. Four generations ago the Hyuuga leader was also found incapable of producing offspring, yet by honor his wife had rejected the offers of carrying the seed of other Hyuuga men, only to accept a child fully not her own in the warmth of her breast. This child would eventually mark the beginning of Hisashi and Hizashi Hyuuga, the first pair of twins born into the clan.

Although unorthodox, the Hyuuga knew that adoption of an heir could only mark the end and the beginnings of certain bloodlines in the family. It was nearly impossible, after all, to keep one solitary family in power of the clan as every member was susceptible to assassinations, discord, and death.

Hideaki grew up loved and cherished as the golden child. His eyes were a stark white, purer than any Hyuuga that existed, and his face was always calculating with mature thought. Yet today was a special day for him as he would be announced to the clan as the next heir.

His mother woke him up with a gentle tug at his sleeve, and before he knew it he had been thrown into a warm tub and scrubbed so ferverently that his skin blushed pink. His hair had been oiled, combed, and oiled again to ensure that it was the straightest it could ever be. As his aunt Hanabi did so, his mother tightened the knots on his tiny summer kimono, decorated in black and green, the traditional Hyuuga template.

His tiny feet slipped into rough slippers and trodded along the dry summer dirt, his hand held tightly by his immaculate mother, her face lifted high and her dress no where far from perfect. Her blue hair was tied into a loose golden stick that was supposedly the heirloom of the Hyuuga women before her, yet a small stray strand bounced gently in her rush to take her son to the council quarters.

The ceremony was without much trouble, and as the last bell rung and the last stick of incense properly presented and burned, the young heir was allowed to roam the veranda freely to play as most toddlers would. He was introduced to many new faces of whom he had never seen before. Eight year-olds and children many years his senior would approach him on the will of their parents and bow down respectfully, always addressing him by the strange name of Hideaki-sama. He was not obligated nor had the desire to play with any of his relatives who were all too old for him. Yet the last child that approached him that day was the child closest to his age.

Hideaki was holding onto the inner folds of his mother's kimono, embracing her and reaching for a sweet cake in her hand when a dark shadow loomed over them. Hinata slowly looked up from her seat on the wooden veranda and propped Hideaki to stand.

Hideaki looked up to see a man of tall stature, tight lips, and an age almost equal to his mother. His eyes were cold yet hard to read and by the look of his forehead, he was a Branch Family member.

"Hinata-sama," the man said simply, his body not moving yet his lips softly bending to the words.

"Neji-niisan," his mother acknowledged with a slight bow of the head as she was not required to stand before a subordinate. Yet the small bow itself obligated the stranger to bow to her even further in respect.

The man kept his strong and silent nature and stated, "I am sure you have heard of my young son Hirotaka."

Just then a small fist pulled at the corner of the man's dark green haori, and slowly a pair of eyes peered shyly out.

"Yes. How could I not? The elders say that he will become the closest rival to my Hideaki." Hinata said with a small smile, a hand outstretched to the young boy before them. Hirotaka only let out a small sound and inched further behind his father.

The clan leader laughed softly and looked to her son. "Hide-chan," Hinata said softly, "Meet your cousin and say hello."

Hideaki nodded with a natural grin on his face and approached Neji without fear or shyness. He crept up and gently leant over to see what was behind Neji, and without question Hideaki met equal eyes to another child whom he was to call Hirotaka.

The other boy looked everything like a typical Hyuuga. He bore the same coffee strands of his father and looked like a miniature version of his grandfather Hizashi. Although he had not been marked with the curse of the Branch House, he had little to fear because of the reformations his clan leader had made in time.

"Hello!" Hideaki said cheerfully as he stretched his hand out. Although his language was still elementary, it seemed as if he were to say, "Come, let's play! I'll be your friend!"

With such innocence the other boy nodded slowly to himself before taking Hideaki's offerring. The two boys clasped their hands together and ran into the courtyard with blushing cheeks. As the boys ran from their parents they could not see that the man sat down on the veranda beside his clan leader.

"What of his mother?" Hinata began to ask, only to be sharply interrupted.

"His mother has been long gone." Neji then turned to face his clan leader, meeting eyes with her like an equal. "You know this."

Hinata could only nod to the statement. "Yes. Yes I do."

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As the summer blossoms began to bend to the breeze of the wind, Neji Hyuuga lifted up his eyes to the sky in contemplation. He was suddenly called by his cousin to help their young sons to bed.

Hideaki had been sleeping with his little mouth gaped open, he hands were recently wiped and cleaned from the mud and dirt that he had introduced to Hirotaka, who also had evidence of dirt under his tiny fingernails. As Hinata tucked them gently away Neji stood by the doorway, the soft candle-light lighting his shadow. Hinata was the last to leave the room, sliding the door as quietly as possible before walking to her chambers, followed by a vigilant Neji.

As she began to walk the deeper corners of the household she could swear she could hear the steady beating of Neji's heart and the rhythmic padding of his footsteps. At her bedroom entrance she turned around and bowed her head again to her cousin, wishing him a good night before laying herself to bed.

Yet Neji did not say a word, only to take a step toward her in silence.

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Hirotaka suddenly woke in the need for a snack. Although he had been closely tucked with his newfound friend he was holding his stomach, realizing that he had eaten too little that evening. He took Hideaki's shoulder and shook it gently, summoning him to wake and accompany him to find his father who always held rice crackers in his pockets for him.

Hideaki rubbed his eyes wearily and followed his cousin down the darkened halls, mutely and sluggishly tracking down his uncle Neji. Yet after a few minutes of zombie walking Hideaki found himself stopped and looking at Hirotaka's back, which also stopped in the darkness.

Hirotaka peered threw a tiny crack of the slide door and it only beckoned Hideaki to do the same.

Yet neither was prepared to see or quite understand what they saw in the dim light of the candles.

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Hinata had been pressed against the walls, her kimono loosened and her shoulders bare. Her hairpin had been let loose and her dark blue strands were messily sprayed on her sweaty back. Her legs were also bare and white, clinging and locking ankles onto the body of a man that Hirotaka knew as his father.

The two children could hear the tiny whispers of Neji and his deeper confessions that were meant for the ears of an adult. As Hinata's mouth slightly opened to respond to him her lips were joined with his in a passionate kiss. And as they silently embraced their forms begain to mold with another in the darkness, rhythmically fused with each curve and joint together as one being.

Hideaki covered his mouth only knowing that being a witness to such a thing would be reason for a scolding. As he pulled onto the sleeve of his cousin he found that Hirotaka would not budge, for his eyes were wide and staring ahead of him as if in awe or in shock.

Yet no more words were exchanged that night, except for a small inkling of a breath that Hinata sighed before her form shook and quivered.

"Four long years," she said. "I cannot bear to live this lie any longer."

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	2. Two Suns: Hanabi

((Please do not read this without reading Two Suns. The story more in detail. Again it's NejiHina pairing. This is more Hanabi-centric and has a slight tint of HinaHana.))

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A pair of white piercing eyes shot open. A harsh intake of breath. A sigh that followed. She was alright, after all.

It was just then that Hyuuga Hanabi sat forth from her bed and looked at the reflective mirror before her. The skin upon her forehead was scorched, red, yet had the familiar markings of a faint green seal that had been forever hated and despised. Yet, with the reflection of the seal illuminating against her, Hanabi stared for a moment before producing a genuine smile to herself.

"I have fulfilled my birthright," she said quietly within herself.

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It began with the simple mission. It was a Hyuuga tradition for the clan heir to engage in a year's journey. The heir would travel alongside two other Hyuugas, one older and one younger, to the temple in which all Hyuuga records are stored away and deposited in secrecy.

Hyuuga Hinata was merely in her mid-twenties when she had been called to take the journey by the will of her father. Her younger sister, Hyuuga Hanabi, was barely entering adulthood at the time. It was also tradition that the heir would consciously choose her companions on the journey, as it was said to strengthen personal bonds with those in the family. By default Hinata chose her sister as her required younger member, and more expectedly the man who the clan designated as her guard, their cousin Neji.

It was strictly a Hyuuga matter and the whole of Konoha knew it. The rite of passage was not questioned or obstructed. It was expected and understood as one of the long standing traditions of the clan.

The three Hyuuga had all been exceptional in their own right. Hinata, although assumed from her gentle and shy personality, did not become a medic ninja as everyone had expected. She instead simply improved and became a better combat ninja, channeling her natural talents into deadly strikes. Her hits were rather soft, but direct and sharp like a bee's sting. She was built to paralyze her opponents, render them useless, and did so with extreme accuracy.

Neji, of course, retained his title as the clan's genius. He was stronger by natural means because he had been born a Hyuuga male. He inherited all that it entails; a highly sensitive, toned body and the ability to strike with not only a powerful burst of chakra but also with a powerful burst of force.

Hanabi, on the last bit, was the least expected to take up the position of a medic ninja. She discovered her talents rather early, hiding the fact that she was able to repair tears in the skin, scars, and grievous wounds because she desperately wanted to remain a combat ninja. Her hopes were also crushed early as her father fought constantly with the ninja hierarchy, eventually losing and submitting his daughter under the tutelage of Haruno Sakura. Hanabi was the least bit enthusiastic, but practiced still her basic combat skills simply because the world expected more from a Hyuuga.

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Five nights had passed since the beginning of their journey and the three Hyuuga were well on their way to learning the ways of the world. It was very common that the Hyuuga would worsen in their journey because of lack of missions or become lethargic with boredom. Yet it was also mandatory that three self-chosen goals would be announced at the beginning of the journey with the approval of the clan's council. If these goals were not met, then the heir would be marked as defect.

Hinata, consequently, chose three goals. She would learn Eight Trigrams Empty Palm and have the capacity to strike an opponent one-hundred yards away. Secondly she would learn how to heal a severe disease from within, requiring her to contract an illness and allow her inner chakra to self-heal herself. Thirdly, she would improve on her Protection of the Eight Trigrams by increasing her sphere of strike by 4 meters, adding the fact that she was barely able to perform the jutsu within the boundaries of a basic home floor without destroying everything.

Hinata had left Konoha with these goals in mind and often repeated them softly to herself as a way to motivate her efforts towards the right direction. However by the second or third week of the journey, she had stumbled upon herself and caused the small cauldron from the fire to spill.

The spill evidently caused Hanabi and Neji to look up from their preoccupations and run to her aid, although it was always Neji that would tend to her first.

She stated simply, "I feel nauseous, it must have been because I woke up so early without being fully rested."

Yet the same scenario repeated itself over the course of a month, and it became evident that Hinata had already gone and contracted herself with some disease to cure, or that something more awful had happened. Although she thought herself wrong at first, Hanabi once spyed on her sister while bathing in the river.

With her eyes narrowed with the strains of Byakugan, it was clear that Hinata's belly was showing the chakra patterns of two tiny life forms.

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At dinnertime the usual food was served. Several berries obtained by foraging and pan-baked bread, accompanied by hunted game. Tonight it was duck, and perhaps tomorrow it will be boar. Either way, it was all food to the Hyuugas.

Hanabi decided to keep silent of her sister's condition, as she knew very well that something had happened. She tried to reason to herself that perhaps a pregnancy could be considered an illness or a disease, especially if unwanted. But it did not make sense to her why her sister would willingly impregnate herself for the sake of the mission, and even more so who was the father. The whole idea was unlike Hinata, who was by many means the traditional and idealistic Hyuuga everyone has grown to know. Hanabi's mind quarreled with the thought.

Yet her answers did not come too late. As their food was finished and the fire gently snuffed to a gentle degree, Hinata made her way to her tent. Hanabi looked up from examining a scroll to herself, seeing that her cousin's eyes were locked on Hinata and following her every step and move. It was then clear to her.

An uneasy aura filled the darkened campsite the moment Hinata was out of sight and peacefully asleep. Hanabi continued reading off from the scroll on her lap, while Neji poked the fire with a wooden stick. He too was reading, but instead of a scroll his eyes locked on a primitively bound textbook with ancient writing and language. Without looking up, Hanabi decided the time was ripe to discuss the matters which were most alarming to her.

"They're yours, aren't they Neji-niisan?"

With the comment he simply remained silent, absently poking at the fire with a bit more force. It only provoked Hanabi to speak again.

"What are you going to do about them?"

Again, silence.

"Will she exert them ou-?"

This time the comment was sharply interrupted. "No," Neji said flatly, "I won't allow it."

"You do know that the clan won't accept the fact that their heir is a mother before being a wife, right?"

"Don't you suppose I have been thinking about that?"

Hanabi bit her lower lip, looking up from her scroll and looking at her cousin, who slowly lifted up his head to meet eyes. His look was that of confusion, a bit of despair, and mostly anger. Hanabi was wise enough to understand that it was not anger at her, but anger that perhaps he had not been practicing enough self-control. She stood up from her seat and walked a few steps towards Neji, promptly seating herself beside him in an attempt to get him to talk more deeply about the matter.

With this Neji looked down again and sighed deeply. "I really don't know. I suppose it was meant to happen one way or the other."

Hanabi refused to respond. It was true. Every Hyuuga that would look knew very well that Neji had been in love with the heir. It was in his devotion and his willingness to serve her. Most of the family would turn their heads with a blind eye, stating that it was a childhood infatuation that was recently renewed. "Like his childhood," they would say, "he'll grow out of it."

But the thoughts lingered and the doubt increased. As Neji grew older, so did Hinata. There were no signs of turning back for him, as he only increased his loyalty to the heir with each passing day and it came to the point it might have been sickening to see it.

"Why do we need a piece of paper and a ceremony to tell everyone how much we love one another?"

Just then Neji felt a pang aimed at his face. His neck was slightly turned and he suddenly realized that he had been slapped.

"This little affair with my sister will cost her the leadership!" Hanabi hissed inwardly, "Why couldn't you wait? Do you understand how treacherous this would be to the clan, especially at this time?"

"I love your sister!" Neji growled in response, "Is that supposed to be a crime?"

Hanabi's lips parted, but the statement was all too true. No, it couldn't and shouldn't be a crime to love someone. However the pairing was wrong, the time was wrong, and everything it seemed, was wrong.

"Even if we did wait," Neji continued, "the clan would reject my proposal."

"How could you know that if you haven't asked?"

With this Neji's hand grabbed the forehead protector briskly and tore it out, exposing the light seal carved onto his forehead. Hanabi's eyes shifted downward, a bit in shame because for a moment, she refused the truth.

"I'm of the Branch, Hanabi-sama. Even if I were the strongest member it wouldn't help me gain a right to your sister. I love her, Hanabi-sama. I wish you could understand how hard we are trying to keep them. We don't want to lose them."

"They're still part of her body, Neji ni-san." Hanabi responded, "Even though you may be the father, she must make the last decision."

"We don't want to lose them." Neji replied again, his voice with a bit more force.

Hanabi frowned, a shrugged her shoulders, "Fine, then you do what you want."

She stood up and walked back to the scroll which she had left on the other side of the fire, she picked it up, her back still facing Neji.

"My part of the mission is to protect my sister. But I see that I have not protected her from your advances, or the fact that you have impregnated her. Nevertheless…my personal reason is to see that she is made our leader. I know fully well that I am ill-equipped for the position. I lack her morality, her purity, and her spirit of understanding and forgiveness. It is something that the Hyuuga have desperately needed for a long time. I am not selfish in this, Neji ni-san. I want to see her made leader as much as you do, but you have both made a terrible mistake that will jeopardize it."

Neji's voice lowered, "Is it a mistake to conceive something in love?"

Hanabi sighed as her head turned slightly to the side, as to project her voice to him. "No, it isn't. It shouldn't be. I know something has to be done to make it work. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me."

She quietly made her way to her tent, her feet unfaltering as well as her voice.

"To be honest, niisan, I am happy for you both."

Hanabi said no more after that, and gently undressed to bed. As her eyes were closed and she slowly went adrift sleeping, Hanabi swore that she heard her sister's soft voice repeating a lesson that every Hyuuga understood and knew.

"We must make sacrifices to the ideals we love. Without our sacrifices, our ideals are empty and meaningless."

Her lips quietly moved, "Sister, you have already sacrificed too much for our clan…"

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Several months have passed. By the ninth month, Hinata had miraculously completed two of her goals, leaving the second untouched due to her circumstances. She carried with her a specific vial that would sicken and cause her illness. However she refrained to drink of the contents until after her children were born.

Hanabi had been by her sister's side. Over the course of the pregnancy, her devotion to her sister was turning out to be much like her cousin's. If anything, it was needed that she be selfless and giving at this time. It was part of her duty, her destiny, and most importantly…

It was simply part of her will.

All her life she wanted to be given the chance. Her sister had pulled through many obstacles. Her sister was forgiving, understanding, and this was something Hanabi wanted to emulate. Even though Hinata would seem to lose, Hanabi knew very well that she was a winner in that she was always willing to give up a part of herself for her ideals. She was willing to sacrifice for the clan, for her family, for the people she loved. It was just as their uncle Hizashi put it. It only made life that much more meaningful to live and to pull through.

But by the end of the ninth month it had been the peak of summer. Hinata lay tired, her face flushed, and her forehead beaded with sweat. Hanabi had successfully delivered two young newborns underwater, upon the observation that Hinata had a natural attachment to the element and that her chakra seemed to heal more rapidly under the circumstances.

The first child bore a tuff of bluish hair. He screamed and cried the moment his face parted from the water, his face red with indignation. Hanabi held him carefully in his arms as her sister sighed and closed her eyes in relief, obviously weakened and barely able to receive the child that looked most like her. In response, his father received the child, bare-chested and cross-legged in the water, his thighs red from the grasp of their mother in labor.

The second child came shortly after. He barely peeped a cry and squirmed quietly in the arms of his aunt. He was peaceful and had his eyes closed with a curious soft smile on his thin lips, obviously something he had inherited from his mother despite looking everything like his father.

Hanabi stared at the newfound family, and suddenly felt like she was a huge part of it. She knew she had a goal to fulfill just as much as her sister. As Hinata looked to her sister and lipped a gracious, "Thank you," the only feeling Hanabi was able to comprehend was complete happiness and satisfaction.

Yet, she knew all too well that she was not done just yet.

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"I don't see why you have to do this, Hanabi…" Hinata said softly.

Hanabi looked up from between her sister's legs, her fingers carefully pressing and examining the effects of childbirth. It was not the first time she had delivered or seen the details of a woman's most private area, but it was definitely the first time she had seen her own sister's.

"Water births usually prevent women from tearing, and a good thing that you didn't." Hanabi stated.

"I wish you wouldn't do this, we will deal with it ourselves."

Hanabi paused, her mind steady. She straightened her back and loomed over her sister's body, their faces meeting.

"Sister…let's just say that this will be your early wedding gift. I know that you both mean to be together someday, but right now that someday will have to wait…"

Hanabi could have sworn that she was not crying. Her voice was steady and sure, as she attempted to explain to both herself and her sister.

"I know this will be hard, on all of us. My small little sacrifice is for the clan, for you, for Neji-niisan, and for the little ones. I want to see you made leader. We've all done something to see this happen. But I realized that I have not done something yet, and I vowed that mine will be the greatest and noblest. Just allow me to comb through their hair when they're old enough, and let me see them grow up. And…lastly…promise me that you'll consummate your love once you reunite?"

"Hanabi…"

She slowly descended back down. And light blue sphere immerged from her fingertips, and gently the skin was joined together, fusing and merging. "Just promise me, sister. Just promise me that my sacrifice won't go to waste. Just promise me that you'll continue to love him even while apart…and love him when you are together…Do this for me?"

"Hanabi…I…"

Hinata's hand lifted to her eyes, her hand covering her face. She let out a soft cry, "I promise, Hanabi…"

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Quietly, in the deep darkness of the night, Hanabi lay herself down onto her back. She knew fully well that in the tent beside her were her sister, her children, and her children's father, wrapped up over the same bed and the same sky. She did not attempt to part the family ever since she knew of its existence, as she knew fully well this was the only small piece of peace and joy that they would have before enduring what they must. But Hanabi did not feel alone. She put her faith into the skies above her, and her body was shrowded by the crisp cold of the night. This was her calling, and she desired it.

Her mind constantly repeated phrases, thoughts, and hopes. Her hand pulled out a small katana from its sheath, her fist gripping around it, and slowly pulled it down to her lower body.

With the blunt end threatening her, Hanabi closed her eyes and whispered to herself, "For you, sister Hinata."

She could only remember the slight tint of pain, and the warm trickle down her thigh.

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	3. Two Suns: Neji

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A pair of hands reached out, chubby fingers pointing at the golden round object in the sky.

"Sunny place."

Hyuuga Neji turned his head to the side, his eyes gently laying upon a tiny toddler, scuffling his feet on the dirt road. His toes were dusty and it was perhaps time to buy him new shoes, as the leather ropes that kept the footwear together were beginning to tear. The young boy remained standing still, as if he refused to continue walking. His hand was outstretched and steady, and his fingers touched with one another as if to make a frame with his hands.

"Sunny place," he said again, admiring the subject of his attention.

Tiny wrinkles formed at the corners of Neji's eyes, as his lips turned into a soft smile.

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Hyuuga Hirotaka was barely old enough to speak, but it was clear that he understood that actions spoke louder than words. At the tender age of three he had already begun intense ninjutsu for his age group, his eyes being sharper than most and his strength surpassing the ordinary. His father took great pride in him, as he met every possible expectation of a Hyuuga.

Despite being a natural genius and protege of like his father, the child was striken with shyness. Whenever his father would take into town for new supplies, if possible, the boy would cling to his leg with a flustered look on his pale face. When faced with a stranger the young child would hide behind any part of Neji, whether it were his legs or his back. Hyuuga Neji had little to mind, however, since he took so much after his mother in that regard.

The child had incredible endurance. While most youngsters his age would undergo the same training and stumble from exhaustion, Hirotaka would remain rooted to the ground, his feet planted and every step sure and steady. Perhaps this was his natural gift. He was not so much talented in the way of drawing chakra, but his basic taijutsu was commendable and he still had a very long way to go until adulthood.

During the brightest peak of the day the father and child would stop from their travels, dropping bags onto the floor and raising their palms in the most perfect Hyuuga position. Hirotaka would rarely make the first step towards his father, always on the defense. What was most amazing, however, was that Neji could see the bulging, forming strains of veins by the corners of his son's eyes.

It would be very soon that Hirotaka would use Byakugan to full fruition.

But often the child would stop suddenly in his tracks whenever they traveled together. At first Neji believed it because he was tired, and would promptly sweep his son up into his arms. However the habit did not cease, and slowly Neji began to realize that it was because he stared intently to the sun once in awhile.

It was then that the child's first sentence left his lips.

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In the beginning, Hirotaka was not inclined to a life of a vagabond with his father.

The young child was still much too young to understand the implications of the world before him. Neji did his best to fill it with happiness and joy, despite the darker reality of their situation. He never hid the truth from him, however. When Hirotaka's large eyes would lay upon any passing or traveling family, he would stare and his sight would trail behind them.

Neji did not bother to ask him the questions that could have been in his mind, rather answer for him. "Your mother is in a sunny place."

Hirotaka would then look up to his father, saying nothing more.

But he knew the story. Neji would be responsible and wise to dictate it to him late at night, while the two were on their rough cots under the starry sky. Some nights the two would sleep without holding onto one another, or simply tucked in away from one another. However the nights that were exceptionally cold, or windy, or whenever Hirotaka suffered from a nightmare, it was always Neji that would reach for his son's small body.

On those nights, Hirotaka would sleep peacefully within the arms of his protective father. He would be lulled into sleep by the steady, ever consistent beat of his father's heart, and the soft stories that would escape his lips.

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One story was that of a young princess and her bodyguard that was sent away as an exile. They were in love, and they had a family that was torn apart by the larger extent of their family. The story was strange in that he refused to name the characters, and simply called them by relation to one another. Although the story was simple enough, Neji knew it better at the deepest parts of his mind. He knew it better because, ironically, he was a character in the story.

It was several years ago. Hyuuga Hinata, Hyuuga Hanabi, and Hyuuga Neji returned to Konoha with two more members of the party. Hanabi carried by her breast a tiny brown-haired babe that they had all grown to call Hirotaka. Hinata carried on the crook of her arm another child, Hideaki. Their arrival was late at night, and while they approached the Hyuuga compounds they all knew too well what will befall upon them.

Within a few moments the children were snatched away from them, several slaps to the face were exchanged, and a shaking Hinata laid on the tatami mat with a very red mark on her face. The elders had gathered in their common robes under the apparent Hyuuga emergency, scolding, bickering, yelling at Hinata and eventually summoning their clan leader.

Hiashi was all too confused as well, as he could only mark that the children were pureblood Hyuuga, and that Neji was the only possible father. Yet while the men began to raise their hands to beat and open their mouths to further berate Hinata, her younger sister interjected.

"Stop it! They're...th.." Hanabi gulped inwardly, "They're mine! The children are mine!"

The clan, of course, grew silent. Hiashi promptly ordered the two women to go under inspection. While Hinata's pants were literally being ripped off her eyes locked on his, and with her lips worded the sentence, "Don't look."

Neji then felt a powerful strike at his knees, focing him to kneel before the congrugation. Although he was capable of being a witness, he stared downward, unable to process the humiliation. He heard their clothes being ripped and pulled off, the scuffle of feet and the sound of their bodies being forced onto the floor. Amazingly enough, they both remained silent, resilient, and unmoved.

"She is speaking the truth," an elder announced, "Hanabi-sama is no longer a virgin."

Another voice interrupted, "Then who is the father?"

This part of the story was still hazy and blurry to Neji. He could only remember the screetch in his ears and the incomprehensible series of voices that rushed through him. After a few moments he remembered his heart beating wildly, irratically, and the texture of the tatami mat raw against his cheek. His lips tasted of his own blood.

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At first, they wanted to castrate him. Hinata-sama's made persistent pleas for leniency, and Hiashi-sama interjected that such a practice was not performed on a Hyuuga for centuries, barbaric and crude. Within a few series of trials, they chose the lesser of punishments. Official banishment. He would no longer be a Hyuuga, and with him would follow the second bastard son, who would also serve little purpose amongst the clan.

Of course, the clan's decision would also be reported to the Hokage. Neji was man-handled all the way to the office, his head forced downward with the occassional shove. It was clear that Neji could easily take the two men down on his own, however because of the mark on his forehead, he was rendered defenseless.

The law of the clan always went before that of the land under their feet. As the two escorts shamelessly beat on his body in the pristine office, the Hokage grew angry and dismissed them for their lewd behavior. After their exit the room was still, and the Hokage's eyes were rested upon Neji. He was breathing recklessly, his heart beating like a wild drum out of control, the burning sensation on his forehead still present. It was not the first time that the Hyuuga would humiliate even their best in front of the Hokage. The minutes of silence was only broken by the scribbling of the Hokage's pen, and the official statement of agreement.

"Hyuuga Neji, you have been stripped from your position in the Hyuuga clan and therefore banished from both your family and of Konoha. As such, your position as ANBU captain has also been stripped. I cannot help you any further. You will be escorted out of the city by non-clan members. I had expected the Hyuuga to treat you this way, and I wish to see that even my former subordinates are handled humanely."

In an instant three shadows formed by his side, two figures in red and white-painted masks. A large white dog sat on his hunches, also waiting for Neji to make his first steps back to the Hyuuga household. There, Neji would pick up the last of his belongings.

While he walked slowly in the darkened streets, the figures followed him like the grim reaper, silent and simply trailing him. As they approached the clan compound the figures simply stood at ease, standing at the veranda that Neji knew was close to the room of the clan heir. Nothing was said until a muffled deep voice came from underneath the mask of one escort.

"Do what you must."

Neji nodded slightly. He quietly walked ahead, pulling a door and looking slightly across the veranda. He saw that another door was left ajar and a shaking, coughing form of Hanabi-sama continually struggled to stand. In a moment, while Neji stood there numbly, Hanabi's white eyes struggled to look ahead, the curse seal burning onto her flesh. Their eyes met and she produced a witty grin while foamed saliva seeped from between her teeth. In that moment Neji understood something that flickered in Hanabi's eyes. Instead of the scared, pleading look for salvation that many in her position would hope for, Hanabi was different. She accepted the choice she made, and as a woman who was selfless and loving to her sister as she was, Hanabi took it all in with stride.

Despite her circumstances she was able to audibly say clearly and courageously, "Neji-niisan makes this look easy."

Of course, at that moment Hanabi's whole body shook even more intensely, and her body finally collasped onto the floor.

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Neji entered the room and saw the familiar red matress spread out across the floor. The room was dimly lit by a tiny lantern, the same lantern which he gave her during a festival years ago. Of course, no one knew this or the implication that iit held. The first time that the lantern was lighted against the darkness was the first time Hinata whispered his name without honorifics and he without hers.

He found her form sleeping soundly and two infants cuddled close to one another. Neji stared at this quiet portrait before reaching out to the brown-haired child.

Then a pale hand reached, touched his, and Hinata-sama's eyes met with his. Neji's lips frowned slightly. He could not say anything to a Hyuuga anymore, although the words in her eyes were more than enough to lift his ailing spirit. They were wide, intuitive, knowing. These were the eyes that he took so many nights into, the eyes which he found his peace and understanding.

As Neji swaddled the sleeping babe in cotton blossoms, and gently strapped him behind his own back, he saw Hinata-sama sitting up from her bed still, watching him leave and with a single tear streaked down to her chin.

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The moon was its highest when Neji made his way ahead towards Konoha's gates. One of the masked figures stood sideways, slightly on guard but not quite, as Neji made the final steps before being completely off the territory of Konoha. The other masked figure, however, was closer in distance to him along with the large white dog. All this time the masked figures only trailed Neji's shadows, and were constantly behind him. As Neji was preparing to make his last step in Konoha, a voice called out flatly, "He smells nothing like his mother."

Neji paused in his steps and stood stiffly. His head did not turn back.

"I said he smells nothing like his mother, and Akamaru agrees."

The silent response gave the masked figure an opportunity to scoff and laugh lightly. He continuted to speak.

"When two people are in love, they give a part of themselves to another, and a certain scent is on them for the rest of their lives. That scent is passed onto their young. We Inuzukas rarely cheat on our partners. We can smell infidelity as well as illegitimate offspring..."

Neji's lips parted to respond, but was interrupted. He had heard the same voice continue.

"But you've been strangely loyal to your partner...the same partner that you've had for many years. Both you and your son lack the smell that we were expecting. What are you up to, Hyuuga?"

His eyes went downcast. "Performing my duty," Neji said softly in return, "to protect Hinata-sama."

A short silence followed. The other voice projected out from the other masked figure, "Then we won't interfere. We trust that you know what you are doing. We trust that you and Hinata both know what you are doing."

With that, Neji turned around, meeting faces with the masked figures, who were then no longer masked. The large dog's head was bowed, as the other two were on a single knee. One of the men, his face gruff with red tattoos, began to speak, his voice clear and unobstructed.

"It has been a pleasure serving under you, Captain."

Neji bent down his head, "Thank you. Kiba, Shino..."

As both of their faces were slightly lifted, Shino spoke the last that night.

"Take care of yourself, Neji. We hope to be by these gates when you return."

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End file.
